Clasp for holding an attachment plug to an electrical outlet



C. SALVADOR Dec. 29, 1964 CLASP FOR HOLDING AN ATTACHMENT PLUG TO ANELECTRICAL OUTLET Filed July 6. 1961 INVENTOR. (a rmeb .Sz/vador:

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,163,481 CLASP FOR HGLDING AN ATTAQHMENT PLUG TOAN ELECTRICAL OUTLET Carmelo Salvador, 2926 Royal Palm Ave, Miami Beach,Fla. Filed July 6, 1961, Ser. No. 122,132 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-75) Thisinvention relates to an attachment for plugs of the type inserted intoan electrical wall outlet or socket to supply a lamp or appliance withcurrent.

The wires of electrical appliances are ordinarily well insulated, but,in use of an appliance or machine, the prongs of the plug may becomeloosened from the socket thus creating a danger of electrical shock alsothe current may be interrupted as electrical contact is lost by a pullon the wire.

The instant invention provides means to securely retain a plug in itssocket thereby eliminating the aforesaid danger and, at the same time,providing means whereby a pull on an electrical cord connecting anappliance to a wall outlet will be absorbed because the means describedhereinafter are resilient and will reluctantly yield to an applicationof force, opposing it, and tending to restore the plug to the normalposition when its prongs are partially withdrawn from the socket.

It is accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an electricalconnector for general use, and for the household in particular, whichwill not easily yield to forces tending to break an electricalconnection, but will tend to maintain electrical contact despite forceswhich would otherwise pull the plug from its socket.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the typedescribed hereinafter which is safe for use in homes, and which willmaintain electrical contact between wall outlets and plugs forappliances.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical connectorwhich is adaptable for use on all sizes and types of plugs in generalhousehold use whereby said plugs may be held in wall outlets inaccordance with the foregoing objects.

It is a general object of this invention to provide an electricalconnector of the type described hereinafter which is of novelconstruction, is strong and durable, of simple and practicalconstruction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise welladapted to secure safe, strong and positive electrical contact betweenthe plugs of household devices and wall outlets.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodimentthereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view partially in cross section of anelectrical plug with the invention applied to hold it in electricalcontact with a wall outlet;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the clasp detached from the plug; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view in cross section taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views, and referring particularly to FIG. 1, 11 designatesgenerally a wall outlet having a plate 12 atlixed to a receptacle, notshown, by means of screws 13 and 14. The wall outlet provides for twosockets, 16, for receiving plugs such as 17. The conventional plugcomprises a body 18 having a base 19 provided with an aperture 21 forreceiving an electrical conductor or cord 22, and having protrudingtherefrom two terminals or prongs.

Referring to FIG. 2, the clasp is shown as a onepiece unitary itemincluding bands or arms 34 and 36 of rubber or other resilientrubber-like material projecting outwardly in diametrically oppositedirections from a central enlarged body portion 42, which is providedwith an elliptical opening 43 therein having a major axis 44perpendicular to the common center line or axis of said bands and aminor axis 46 aligned with said center line. The distal ends of bands 34and 36 are provided with rigid clips 37 and 38.

Each clip, as more particularly shown upon FIGURE 3 for clip 38,consists of a one-piece item of rigid metal or plastic having a straightshank portion with one end embedded within the distal end of arm 36 andits other or free end bent into the form of a hook 41. Each clip isunitarily secured to its arm by appropriate means such as a hole 47 inits shank so that when the shank is embedded within the material of itsarm, the material protrudes within the hole to thereby secure the armand clip against separation. Clip 37 is identical with clip 38 justdescribed and is attached to its arm 34 in the same way.

In use, opening 43 is expanded and distorted by pulling the clips apartuntil it fits smoothly over and about the body of plug 17. The pull isthen released and the resiliency of body portion 42 causes it tocontract about and firmly grip the plug. Thereafter the prongs of theplug are inserted into the socket and clips 37, 38 are hooked over andabout opposite edges of cover plate 12, to thereby firmly but releasablyhold the prongs of the plug in electrical contact with the contacts ofthe socket. Due to the elliptical shape of opening 43 it may bedistorted to receive the plug, merely by a straight pull exerted on andbetween the clips.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatis conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departtues may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

In combination, an electrical outlet including an apertured socket and aface plate apertured to receive and fit about said socket insubstantially flush fixed relation therewith, a plug generallyelliptical in transverse section and including spaced parallel prongsfrictionally fitting the apertures in said socket, a unitary one-piececlasp of resilient material and comprising a central enlarged bodyportion and first and second arms integral with said body portion andextending in diametrically opposite directions from opposite sidesthereof along a common axis, there being a generally ellipitical openingin said body portion and having its major and minor axes respectivelynormal to, and aligned with, said common axis, and first and secondclips each unitarily attached to the distal end of a respective one ofsaid arms, each said clip being hooked over and about a respective side5 edge of said face plate with said plug tightly fitting within saidopening, said opening being enlargeable and distortable by a pull on andbetween said clips, to enable the plug to be inserted thereinto, releaseof said pull causing the natural resiliency of the clasp material tocontract about 10 said plug to firmly grip and hold the same with itsprongs in said apertures of said socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHubbell Dec. 8, Ellis Nov. 29, Jones Mar. 18, Klumpp Apr. 13, PhalenDec. 20,

FOREIGN PATENTS France Jan. 31, Great Britain June 15,

Great Britain Aug. 7,

